A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story

A teenage mom is forced to give up her baby boy for adoption. 19 years later, as she tries to find her son again, she learns that he died in his foster home at the age of three. Nobody thought relevant that the birth mother be informed. She discovers that he has in fact been murdered at the hands of his foster mother.

Based on "A death in White Bear Lake" book, this movie stays close enough to the real story, but fails to bring out the fact that the whole community knew and covered the abuse of this child for years (before, and after he was murdered).

It was a great TV movie, way different than your usual abused-kid-of-the-week afternoon flick, and I really wish somebody would release it !

The acting in this movie left a lot to be desired. With the exception of the wicked stepmother, the others seemed to give no real effort, and thus their characters had very little life to them.

At some points the dialog is laughable, which is the case of this film, is not a good thing.

Beverly Deangelo was very good in this movie about a mother's fight for the memory of Her Baby.

Ivey was really scary as the adoptive mother Who beat and Killed the little boy. I used to like Max Gail on Barney Miller, But I couldn't understand why His Charictor didn't put a stop to the Abuse of His adopted son. But all in all it was a good TV Drama. I'd rate it a Seven out of Ten.

I am not the audience for Lifetime Channel movies but just happened to see Beverly D'Angelo (always beautiful and here looking gorgeously plump) in this, so stayed to watch. When I saw Dana Ivey appear, I was sure I was in for something wonderful - but I wasn't.

I am not that familiar with Lifetime Channel sorts of movies - and as a conservative middle aged man, don't think I'm the intended audience. This is a social issue, soapy victim succeeds against the odds movie. I'm not a fan of such movies.

The movie is very strange. I kept awaiting a twist or series of twists because: a) the direct evidence against the stepmother is very slight (she's presented as a nightmare mother but there's no eyewitness at the time of death, no instrument of death, etc.), b) an actress of the caliber and eminence of Dana Ivey had thus far been given hardly any lines (and allowed only a sort of Hammer Films wicked stepmother look), and c) the "victim" (biological mom) repeatedly asked about how much punishment the wicked stepmother would receive - and how soon it could be inflicted.

Amazingly, there's no twist at all! The victim was simply eager! The disappointment is strong! The dialogue is truly terrible - the judge actually says "why if I could, I would throw away the key" when passing sentence! (Yes, this was first heard in a drama in 1908 - B.C.).

So, except for the (quite real) pleasure in seeing the over-ripe curves of Beverly D'Angelo in skirts and dresses made with more slender women in mind, this movie's a bust.

I remember watching this movie when I was about 14 years old on Lifetime. Beverly D'Angelo plays a young mother who is forced to give up her newborn son for adoption. Her son gets adopted by this older Christian couple. They already have a 4 year old son(Miko Hughes). The wife and husband seem normal, kind, etc. Then one day the adopted son(Cortland Mead)who's about 4 now acts up one day at the dinner table. The mother(Dana Ivey) gives her adoptive son a beat down while the father and brother sit at the table and act like nothing is happening. Then that night, the mother makes the boy kneel on a broomstick and makes him say prayers repeatedly. It isn't until about 20 years or so later that D'Angelo tries to see what her adopted son is up to when she recevies the tragic news of her life. Very good movie!!